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Villainy - Slaver
As was mentioned above, Deviant villains are Deviant only if their acts or methods are forbidden in the region they operate. The Slaver is a classic example of this. Whilst slavery is outlawed in most cultured areas, in others it is welcomed and openly endorsed. The following section thus focuses on the Slaver's use as an antagonist in plot-writing. The Slaver sees nothing wrong with keeping intelligent creatures as possessions. She might even come from a culture where owning slaves is a point of honor. A well-designed Slaver villain traditionally is one that comes from a culture with very strict rules regarding the taking and treatment of slaves. The Slaver as a villain enjoys a sense of personal power and superiority from "owning" another. She can often justify it as well, in a variety of ways. Some slavers are merely greedy, whereas others lust after power. Still more convince themselves that they are doing the lower forms of life a favor - by rescuing them from a barbaric existence and allowing them a chance to operate in a more civilized society. No matter what the reason, however, absolute control over life and death is central to this villain, even if she never intends to use it. The slaver is always seeking to expand her "stable" of slaves. She may seek a particular type of slave (for exotic appearance or ability) or may simply wish to own more. To accomplish this, the Slaver will travel to distant lands and try to abduct whoever strikes her fancy. Perhaps this is the best story hook for this sort of villain when it comes to bringing this villain into conflict with the protagonists in a land where slavery is forbidden. A Slaver needs a base of operations - whether a cave complex, fortress, or large off-shore ship. This is the best setting for such adventures. Protagonists must overcome the Slaver's followers to reach the inner sanctum of the stronghold. When facing this villain, there are virtually always innocents to save - innocents that an intelligent Slaver will use as human shields. The Slaver may put great value on the lives of her slaves, but she knows that would-be heroes do too - and she is willing to manipulate that towards her own ends if she thinks it will help her. Unlike the other Deviants, the Slaver is traditionally at the center of a large organization. Followers and employees alike surround this villain, serving as protectors, abductors, handlers, and trainers. The Slaver may or may not be a strong combatant, but she is well versed in the ways of stopping opponents without killing them - after all, what better to do with would-be heroes then turning them into a commodity on the open market! Variant Slaver Villains Cultural Slaver: This villain has a religious or cultural belief that his kind is more civilized than the slaves. Often this belief is utterly dehumanizing; the slaves are thus not very well treated in most cases of this subtype. Righteous Slaver: The Righteous Slaver wishes to force the savage slaves into recognizing her better way of life and more advanced and civilized culture. Social Slaver: The Social Slaver owns slaves to achieve a higher status in society. This society measures people's successes by the number of slaves they own. Back to Deviant.